Centrifugal machine



June 13, 1933. F. E. KRAUSS I 1,913:600

CENTRIFUGAL MACHINE Filed July 1o,"'19s0 mow swim provide a particularly Patented June 13. "1933 FRIEDRICH EMIL KRAUSS', 1 SCHWAEZENBERG, GERMANY CENTRJVIFUGAL mcnmn Application filed July 10, 1930, Serial No. 467,109, and in Germany November 8, 1929.

This invention relates to a centrifugal machine, intended especiall for ununiform charges, as is the case, fbr instance, with linen and the like. The introduction of cen- 5 trifugal washing machines into households l presents great difiiculties, as it is indispensably requisite not only to build these, machines very strongly and able to resist the severe oscillations arising when the linen receptacle is ununiformly charged, but also to giveit a separate base in order to prevent it from wandering as a consequence of said'oscillations. Also the drive of the existing domestic centrifugal washing machines is very dangerous and the means therefor must be designed very carefully which entails'many difliculties and corresponding costs. As charging the linen receptacle with the linen actually uniformly takes place practically 0 never, it is practically impossible to obviate the severe oscillations, and this being so the drive must be powerful, as a part of the power is consumed by the oscillations which are transmitted from the linen receptacle to the casing or shell and the frame of the .machine. The motor must be corres ondingly larger, it is more expensive, an con- 7 sumes more electric current.

The object of the present invention is to ractical centrifugal machine which is comp etely free from the above-stated drawbacks also for small households. This machine'can be operated without the least danger, it does not necessitate a separate base,.but c'an'be placed upon the ordinary floor thereon, and requires for its operation only just so much power as is actually necessary for driving the centrifugal drum with the requisite number of revolutions. In this machine the centrifugal drum is suspended somewhat similar like a pendulum, that is to say, it can swing on its support, as there is provided for a lateral play on all sides between its support and the adjacent circumferential wal of the drum. Thus, if the drum is charged ununiformly, it can assume an obli ue position, or adjust itself in an angle re atively to the ideal axis of oscilla-- tion. There arise, thus, either no oscillawithout any separate fastening tions at all, if the drum should have been charged uniformly, or only so" slight ones that they can be neglected; at' any rate, they are hardly perceptible and perfectly harmess. And as, finally, the casing or shell and the frame are not in the least influenced by these very small oscillations, if such ones should arise in a given case by reason of particular causes, the machine remains on its place on the floor; it does not wander.

In order to obviate a positive drive for the freely suspended drum so that it can freely follow the tendency to assume an oblique position owing to an ununiformly distributed charge, compressed air' is employed as driving means for the centrifugal drum. This air might be drawn from any compressed-air. source where there, should exist such: a one, but as this will be only very rarely the case, especially in a small household, I prefer to produce the requisite small amount of compressed air in the machine itself, the motor being united with a blower'for this ur ose. The compressed air constitutes a yielding driving a cut which does not in the least prevent the ram from assuming an oblique position, if necessary, but that air transmits, nevertheless, a sufficient amount of power to drive the drum with the necessary number of revolutions, viz about 1100 per minute or even more. This manner of driving the drum renders the drive absolutely dangerless; it is, in fact, possible to stop the drum without any danger even while it is running with full speed. If a resistance should arise, caused, for instance, by a piece of linen that has-been flung out of the drum and between the blades on whichthe compressed air is acting, then the drum will stop at once quite automatically, as the air can freely contlnue to flow and escape without any dangerous reaction upon any part, especiall on the motor which is perfectly prevente from fusing or blowing from such a reason.

'Ilhe invention is illustrated dia am-.

matically and by way of example on t e accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is an axial section through a centrifugal machine designed according to thisinvention;

Figure 2 is a plan thereof; Figures 3 and 4 are details which will be fully dealtwith hereinafter; Figure 5 is an axial section through another constructional form of the machine, showing, however, only the upper part thereof; and Figure 6 is a plan of the parts shown in Fig. 5.

On the drawing, a (Fig. 1) denotes the stationary casing or shell of the machine which forms at its lower end a circular gutter a intended to receive the water flung out of the centrifugal drum during the operation of the same. The circumferential inner rim of said gutter may be slightly conical. From this rim is suspended the motor d by means of a frame I) and arms I), but between these arms and the motor is inserted a strong rubber ring 0 which is clamped fast at its outer rim, as well as its inner rim, and prevents transmission of oscillations ofthe motor to the frame of the machine. The motor may have a base plate of its own so that it can stand thereon if it should become necessary from any reason to disconnect it from the machine. The upwardly projecting.

shaft of the motor carries blades 6 which may be detachable and constitute a blower by which the compressed air necessary for driving the centrifugal drum is produced. The motor and the set of blades can be removed from the machine as a unit after the cover I). and the drum 9 have been removed from the casing or shell a, and the said parts (motor and blades) may be used for ventilating purposes at some .other place when the centrifugal machine is not required.

From the frame I) extend upwardly arms supporting a sleeve f which is closed at its upper end and forms here a thrust bearing serving as support for a rounded pivot g which is located centrally within the centrifugal drum 9 and is firmly connected with the same, or, more precisely, with the inner wall of the drum. The member forming at its lower end the pivot g forms-at its upper end a knob g" by means of which the drum can be lifted out of the shell (1 after the cover h has been removed. From the bottom of the drum extend downwardly blades e upon which. act the currents of air generated by the blades 6 so that the drum can be rotated in this way.

Owing to the drum being supported or sus ended in the manner shown and described, that is to say, owing to the provision of the tubular space between the sleeve f and the inner wall of the drum g, this latter can assume an oblique position if it should have been charged ununiformly, and it can rotate quickly and uniformly also in the oblique position.

In spite of the great safety of that manner of driving several additional measures can be taken in order to increase still more that safety. Thus, for instance, the cover It may of the air in the shell has become high enough to lift the cover, and in order to prevent the air from escaping through the outlet orifices of the gutter a these orifices are designed as siphons, as shown at a" in Fig. 1.

Furthermore, another brake blocki is located just over the knob g" and attached to a vertical pin 71" (Figs. 1 and 2) guided in a sleeve h secured to the cover it in the centre thereof. On the upper end of the pin 2' is a knob e", by means of which the brake block 21 can be pressed upon the knob g" so as to brake thereby the centrifugal drum. The pin 73" cannot, however, be moved directly vertically in the sleeve it into its lowermost position, but it has one or two radially projecting pins k which engage an angular slot k of the sleeve h. The knob z" must, thus, be turned in order to move the pin 2' down into its lowermost position. This pin is connected with the one end of Bowden cables is which extend over the cover d downwardly to bolts 5 which engage holes of the upper rim of the shell when they are in their coupling position. These holes are vertically oblong so that the bolts have some vertical play in it, viz, so much play that the cover can be lifted by the compressed air, viz. so much lifted that the brake blocks m are moved away from the drum g. Moving down the brake block 71 upon the knob 9 so much that the pins 70 can enter into the slot is" can take place only when the drum is not in an oblique position, that is to say, when it is at rest, as generally the drum has a certain, maybe only slight, oblique position in consequence of ununiform distribution of the linen in it. When the drum is at rest and the knob 11 is turned in order to move the pins is along in the oblique slot and to move the brake block a down upon the knob g, the cables is are wound around the pin 2' and .the bolts l are withdrawn from the rim of the shell so that only now the coupling members of the shell and the cover are disengaged and only now the cover can be removed from the shell.

The drum 9 may have perforated walls, as indicated by the letter of reference 9'' so that the air can pass to the linen in the drum and assist in removing the moisture from it and in drying it. The wings e can, for the same purpose, be elongated upward- 1y so as to extend into the space between the sleeve 7 and the inner wall of the drum so that theair propelled by said blades is driven into the drum from said space.

directl In' ig. 4 is shown that the position of the members supporting the drum can be with the knob g".

Referring now to the modification shown Figs. 5 and 6, the cover It is in this case provided with an inwardly directed flange r touching nearly the drum g. This flange is located about in that plane in which is located also the point of contact between the.

supporting members f and g of the drum, this plane being that in which the extent of the lateral movement of the drum is the smallest, practically' nearly zero. If said flange would be located at a higher or at a lower place the possibility would exist that the drum would rub at the inner edge of the said flange 7*, and a braking action would arise,

without, however, reacting detrimentally upon the motor. The flange r divides the interior of the shell a, that is to say, the annular space between the shell and the drum, into two superposed parts n and n"; the shell part located at the top of the lower one n of said two spaces is bulged out, as at 9 (Fig. 6),

V and forms a spirally enlarged passage half round the shell a and the compressed air The main cover It forms produced. below the drum and enterin into said lower space n passes through sai pas- Saga 9' of the shell a in the V y the arrow in Fig. 6. At the end of the passage g is a branch or to which is attached a hose 0, the other end of wlfich passes through an additional cover k" into the up per part of the main cover 1:. as well as into the centrifugal drum. That compressed air is the waste of the driving air and pushes directly upon the linen in thev drum so. as to assist the treatment of the same in the drum.

a corresponding spirally enlarging passage 12, located just over the passage 9 and being provided with an adjustable flap p which permits the used air to escape. When this flap is closed, the pressure of the air in the machine rises, as does, consequently, also the number of revolutions of'the drum, so that the water retained in the moist linen is more quickly and thoroughly flung out; this having been accomplished, the flap p is opened so that the air entering throughthe hose 0 is now chiefly utilized for the drying purpose.

' tion or counter thereto, in which latter case The air may also be used for braking the drum, viz. it may be introduced into the shell through nozzles and these may be so disposed as to be turnable so that the currents of air can be conducted either in the driving directhe air will act braking; it is also possible to provide two sets of nozzles, the one being direction indicated directed and acting in the driving direction, the other counter thereto. V

In the constructional form shown in Fig. 1 the direction of the air can be reversed b reversingthe direction, of th'e motor and thus, of the blades e, when'these blades will act sucking instead of blowing.

I claim:

1. A centrifugal machine, outer casing, a basket drum rotatably supported in said casing by means of a rounded pivot and a pan bearing of greater radius than said pivot giving free lateral motion to said drum, fan blades arranged on said drum, a blower arranged below and coaxially with said drum, and means for driving said blower, substantially as described.

2. A centrifugal machine, comprising an outer casing, ported in said casing by means of a rounded pivot and a pan bearing of greater radius than said pivot.giving free lateral motion comprising an to said drum, fan blades arranged on said drum, a blower arranged below and coaxially with-said drum, means for drivingsaid blower, and an electric motor connected coaxially to said blower, substantially as described.

3. A centrifu al machine, comprising an outer casing, a asket drum rotatably supported in said casing by means of a rounded pivot and a pan bear-l ng ofgreater radius than said pivot giving free lateral motion to said drum, fan blades arranged on said drum, a blower arranged below and coaxially with said drum, means for driving'said blower, an electric motor connected coaxially to said blower, both motor and blowersuspended by means of conical sleeves on said casing, substantially as described.

4. A centrifu a1 achine, comprising an outer casing, a asket drum rotatably supported in said casing by means of a rounded pivot and a pan bearing of greater radius than said pivot giving free lateral motion to said drum, fan blades arranged on said'drum, a blower arranged below andcoaxially with said drum, means for driving said blower, an electric motor connected coaxially to said blower, and supports arranged on said motor for the bearing of said drum, substantially as described. I

5. A centrifugal machine, comprising an outer casing, a basket drum'rotatably sup,- ported in said casing by means of a rounded pivot and a pan bearing of greater radius than said pivot giving freelateral motion to said drum, fan blades arranged on said drum, a blower arranged below and coaxial- 1y with said drum, means for driving sai blower, a cover enclosing and covering the uppermost part of said drum, and said cover being guided axially in said casing, substantially as described;

a basket drum rotatably sup- 6. A centrifugal machine, comprising an outer casing, a basket drum rotatably supported in said casing by means of a rounded pivot and a pan bearing of greater radius than said pivot giving free lateral motion to said drum, fan blades arranged on said drum, a blower arranged below and coaxially with said drum, means for driving said blower, a cover enclosing and covering the uppermost part of said drum, and said cover being guided axiall in said casing, and vertically arranged bra ing blocks on the inside of the cover, substantially as described.

7. A centrifugal machine, comprising an outer casing, a basket drum rotatably supported in said casing by means of a rounded pivot and a pan bearing of greater radius than said pivot giving free lateral motion to said drum, fan blades arranged on said drum,

a blower arranged below and coaxially with said drum, means for driving said blower, a cover enclosing and covering the uppermost part of said drum, said cover being guided axially in the said casing, a spirally enlarging passage about around one half of said casing just below said cover, a flange on the lower rim of said cover and extending inside therefrom, a pipe connected to the largest part of said passage, an opening in said cover to receive the other end of said pipe, a corresponding spirally enlarging passage on said cover, and a flap on the end of this a passage to open or close it, substantially as described.

8. A centrifugal machine, comprising an outer casing, a. basket drum rotatably supported in said casing by means of a rounded pivot and a pan bearing of greater radius than said pivot giving free lateral motion to saiddrum, fan blades arranged on said drum, a blower arranged below and coaxially with said drum, means for driving said blower, an electric motor connected coaxially to said blower, a cover enclosing and covering the uppermost part of said drum, said cover being guided axially in said casing, a handleknob on the centre ofsaid drum, and a central brake guided in the centre of said cover against spring action and having a handle to be brought into engagement with said central brake, substantially as described.

In testimony whereofI affix my signature.

FRIEDRICH EMIL KRAUSS. 

